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N. Korea blames US for 'worse crisis' in nuclear order, justifies its arsenal

North Korea on Tuesday accused the United States of driving the global nuclear order into "the worst crisis" through its "nuclear proliferation activities" and used the accusation to defend its own nuclear program. The accusation came in a foreign ministry's "memorandum" carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), hours after Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong told the U.N. General Assembly in New York that North Korea's nuclear program is an "irresistible" force needed to protect its sovereignty and security against external threats. Washington has "irresponsibly abandoned its disarmament obligations as a nuclear-weapon state," the memorandum said. Its rapid buildup of nuclear forces and "blatant" nuclear proliferation, it said, left Pyongyang no choice but to "play a more active role" "as a responsible nuclear-weapon state." The document cast the U.S. as the main culprit behind global nuclear proliferation, citing its nuclear buildup and modernization and its withdrawal from arms-control treaties. North Korea also pointed to U.S. nuclear-powered submarine cooperation with Seoul a

Sep 29, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea blames US for 'worse crisis' in nuclear order, justifies its arsenal
Foreign Affairs

Foreign ministry calls in Ukrainian envoy in response to Kyiv disclosing transfer of NK POWs

The foreign ministry on Monday called in Andrii Vieshkin, acting ambassador of Ukraine to South Korea, following Kyiv's revelation of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to Seoul. First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo conveyed Seoul's stern stance on the issue to Vieshkin, the ministry said in a statement. Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed during a United Nations address that Ukraine sent the two North Korean soldiers captured last year to South Korea. President Lee Jae Myung and his office have since said Ukraine breached a nondisclosure agreement aimed at keeping the transfer a secret to safeguard the former soldiers from dangers they could face if their transfer were to be disclosed, citing international law and humanitarian principles. Soon after, Ukrainian media outlets reported a Ukrainian presidential source as denying the existence of a confidentiality agreement with Seoul. Park expressed strong concern over Ukraine's denial of the confidentiality agreement with Korea, saying such an action gravely damages mutual trust and affect

Sep 28, 2026By Yonhap
Foreign ministry calls in Ukrainian envoy in response to Kyiv disclosing transfer of NK POWs
North Korea

Less than 40 % of S. Koreans say unification with N. Korea necessary: poll

Less than 40 percent of South Koreans view unification with North Korea as necessary, a poll showed Monday, with younger people far less supportive. According to the poll commissioned by Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, 39 percent of respondents said unification is necessary, down from 41.1 percent last year. The poll showed that 32.2 percent of respondents viewed unification as not necessary, up from 30.4 percent last year, and more than double from 15.1 percent in 2007, when the institute first conducted the survey. Among those in their 20s and 30s, 25.2 percent and 27 percent, respectively, said unification is necessary, while 44.8 percent and 47 percent in the respective age groups said it is not. The poll also showed that 39.1 percent of respondents believed unification is impossible, the highest figure since 2007. It found a record 31.5 percent saying they prefer the status quo of the Koreas being divided. Distrust toward North Korea increased, with 78.3 percent saying that dialogue and compromise with the North Korean regime is impossible, up

Sep 28, 2026By Yonhap
Less than 40 % of S. Koreans say unification with N. Korea necessary: poll
Foreign Affairs

Seoul, Kyiv at odds over secret deal on NK POW transfer

South Korea and Ukraine are locked in an unusual diplomatic dispute over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to Seoul, with the two governments giving conflicting accounts of whether they had agreed to keep the move confidential. The dispute escalated, Sunday, as Cheong Wa Dae demanded an official explanation and apology from Kyiv, four days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unexpectedly disclosed the transfer during his address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Zelenskyy said Ukraine had “recently” sent two North Korean POWs to South Korea, about 20 months after their capture in Russia’s Kursk region. The two were among thousands of North Korean troops deployed to support Russia since 2024 in its war against Ukraine. They had expressed a desire to go to South Korea instead of being repatriated to the North. Seoul says the two sides agreed to keep the transfer confidential, while Kyiv says no such agreement existed. The conflicting claims began to emerge on Thursday, a day after Zelenskyy’s speech, when Lee took to social media to express d

Sep 28, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
Seoul, Kyiv at odds over secret deal on NK POW transfer
Foreign Affairs

GDP projected to grow 0.38% over 10 years following CPTPP membership

Korea's economy is projected to grow by 0.38 percent over the 10 years following its potential membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the industry ministry said Monday. The government released the projection after conducting a comprehensive analysis of the potential impact of Korea's CPTPP membership on the macroeconomy, manufacturing and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR). MOTIR, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and the Korea Forest Service, along with their affiliated research institutes, participated in the analysis. The latest estimate showed that Korea's gross domestic product (GDP) would be 0.38 percentage point higher, on a cumulative basis, over the first decade after its entry into the CPTPP than it would be if the country did not join the trade pact, the ministry said. By sector, the production im

Sep 28, 2026By Yonhap
GDP projected to grow 0.38% over 10 years following CPTPP membership
Foreign Affairs

Unification minister to visit Ireland, Northern Ireland, Germany from this week

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young will visit Northern Ireland, Ireland and Germany starting this week in an effort to explain South Korea's approach to peaceful coexistence with North Korea, the ministry said Monday. The minister was set to leave for Europe on Monday for an eight-day trip in a bid to see how each moved past deep divisions and muster support for Seoul's North Korea policy, according to the ministry. His first stop is Northern Ireland, where he will meet officials involved in the country's peace process and discuss how it worked through decades of conflict. The trip will be followed by his visit to Ireland to meet experts in international conflict resolution and learn about the country's long struggle for independence and the eventual settlement of the conflict in Northern Ireland, according to the ministry. While in Ireland, Chung is scheduled to give a special lecture on peaceful coexistence with North Korea at Trinity College Dublin at the invitation of the Society for International Affairs (SOFIA), a student organization at the school interested in international po

Sep 28, 2026By Yonhap
Unification minister to visit Ireland, Northern Ireland, Germany from this week
North Korea

Sculptures honoring N. Korean soldiers to be erected in Vietnam

Sculptures honoring North Korean soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War are set to be installed in Hanoi, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday. A ceremony unveiling the monument's foundation plaque was held Friday at the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. North Korea is believed to have sent close to 400 soldiers to Vietnam during the war, including 90 pilots between 1966 and 1969. The plaque, inscribed "Feelings of Friendship between Vietnam and DPRK," notes that the two countries established diplomatic relations in January 1950 and that North Korea "rendered material and moral assistance" during Vietnam's "anti-U.S. resistance to national salvation." DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic Republic of Korea. "The combat spirit and self-sacrificing spirit displayed by Korean soldiers are a noble and beautiful symbol of the good international unity and contributed to the consolidation of the friendly relations between Vietnam and the DPRK," the accompanying text read, according to the KCNA. The unveiling cere

Sep 28, 2026By Yonhap
Sculptures honoring N. Korean soldiers to be erected in Vietnam
Foreign Affairs

Korea-Japan Festival turns 20 in Tokyo with K-pop makeovers, hanbok

TOKYO — Hundreds of Japanese visitors lined up outside the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo each morning from Friday through Sunday, eager to try on hanbok (Korean traditional attire), get K-pop-inspired makeovers and meet young Koreans face-to-face at the annual Korea-Japan Festival. Drawing visitors ranging from young adults to families, the three-day festival offered hands-on experiences designed to showcase both contemporary trends and traditional Korean culture. Visitors could speak directly with young volunteers from Korea and Japan, experience professional K-pop-style makeovers and take part in cultural activities. Organizers expect nearly 6,000 visitors across the three days of the festival. This year marked the festival's 20th anniversary, with the event having launched in 2005 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. In a departure from previous years, the event moved from Hibiya Park to the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo as organizers experimented with a new format. The indoor venue allowed the festival to place greater emphasis o

Sep 27, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea-Japan Festival turns 20 in Tokyo with K-pop makeovers, hanbok
Foreign Affairs

POW transfer, DMZ blast complicate Lee's peace initiative

President Lee Jae Myung’s trip to the United Nations and Mexico, where he emphasized peace on the Korean Peninsula and renewed U.S.-North Korea dialogue, was overshadowed at home by controversy over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war and a suspected land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Experts said the incidents drew attention to the challenges facing Lee’s peace initiative as Pyongyang maintains its hostile stance toward Seoul. They also questioned whether renewed U.S.-North Korea talks would adequately address South Korea’s security concerns. Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, said North Korea would be unlikely to respond positively to peace overtures under normal circumstances, and that the incidents have likely added to the tension. “I don’t think North Korea would have shown much enthusiasm toward the Lee Jae Myung government even if these two incidents had not happened,” Nam said. “North Korea is already playing a bigger game with President Trump.” Nam said Pyongyang is more interested in negotiating directly

Sep 27, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
POW transfer, DMZ blast complicate Lee's peace initiative
Foreign Affairs

US issuance of nonimmigrant visas for Koreans falls by 8%

The United States' issuance of nonimmigrant visas for Koreans fell nearly 8 percent from a year earlier in 2025 following the inauguration of the new U.S. President Donald Trump administration, data analyzed by a lawmaker's office showed Sunday. The office of Rep. Hong Kee-won of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said it recently analyzed U.S. State Department data on visa issuance per country and found that 68,130 nonimmigrant visas had been issued to Koreans last year, down 7.95 percent from 74,015 issued in 2024 during former President Joe Biden's administration. The number fell across most categories, including the B-1 business visa and the B-2 tourism visa. During the months following last September's surprise detention of hundreds of Korean workers in the U.S. state of Georgia, however, the numbers appeared to grow, according to the lawmaker's office. In December, Korea and the U.S. launched a visa support desk at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to help Korean companies investing in the U.S. with smoother entry procedures. The State Department data showed average monthly B-1 and B-2 vi

Sep 27, 2026By Yonhap
US issuance of nonimmigrant visas for Koreans falls by 8%
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